Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Steven Godfrey and Alex Kirshner start this episode with reminders about some SZD events and a hearty endorsement of your participation in the EDSBS Charity Bowl. Then (16:03) we talk about some college football stories this week: Peacock streaming is pushing deeper into the NFL and, very shortly, into CFB. Also, (30:28), half of the ACC is fighting with the other half and could lose despite theor...

Richard and Alex start this week's show by talking about the very different gambling stories in Alabama and Iowa, and to what extent college sports could be acting differently. Then we take lots of listener questions, including ones about the Big 12 commissioner, the 2023 FSU hype train, surprisingly good NIL operations, how much it costs to keep a team together, who could be this year's G5 New Ye...

After Godfrey unloads some college-centric draft notes, Alex wants to talk about Notre Dame's upcoming TV negotiation with NBC and how the Big Ten's new entanglement with the Peacock is a relevant dynamic to keep an eye on. Then, let's do the year-two vibes check on every head coach hired before the 2022 season. Who's doing great? Who's just holding tight? And who has already entered the "better w...

After a quick chat about clock rules changes that are now official, Alex, Richard, and Steven talk about Deion Sanders' roster purge at Colorado. It's intentional, but not all of it, and we have questions about what will happen in Boulder once the Buffs start losing. Then let's talk about the NFL Draft, which seems extra high in supply of really fun college football players. Does the league care a...

The big stories on this week's episode, though not necessarily in order: Nebraska has already changed (46:48) some significant things under Matt Rhule. Richard lets us know about them. Alex explains why the loss of the only NCAA football team in Canada (34:36) says something troubling about the state of the sport  in the U.S.  Godfrey thinks Kliff Kingsbury is living the ideal coach life (27:40) b...

Steven Godfrey, Alex Kirshner, and Richard Johnson debate Hugh Freeze's idea of staging inter-squad spring games between in-state schools. Is it condescending, a great idea, or both? The Pac-12's efforts to secure a media-rights agreement roll on, and they've reached "mess" territory, we agree. But how much does that change the medium-term outlook for the conference? Do we give conference offices...

After a quick check-in on the state of April recruiting, Alex, Richard, and Godfrey tackle six stories from around college football. 1. Why Frank Solich coming home is good business for Matt Rhule and Nebraska. 2. Trent Dilfer's explanation of his move to UAB is, you know, maybe a little off. 3. Kansas hires Bill Snyder's son. 4. Ken Niumatalolo goes West, and it says something interesting about C...

Richard and Alex talk about San Diego State's increasing momentum as a Pac-12 expansion candidate and go over what it means, or doesn't mean, that Michigan is making unusual recruiting inroads in Ohio. Then, a catch-up on the latest set of existential-ish crises facing the NCAA, featuring the magazine reporter who's covered a lot of them and the writer who's now made the big time of congressional...

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex tackle a few topics this week that deal with how college football is playing with other sports: The NFL plans to encroach further on Black Friday, but has CFB already encroached on college basketball to an extent that can't be unwound? Did Jim Boeheim's exit from Syracuse finally give us a new gold standard in "pushing out" a head coach after FSU/Bobby Bowden? Alex wants...

Richard Johnson, Steven Godfrey, and Alex Kirshner go through some news of the week in college football. The Pac-12 closes in, probably, on a TV deal. UNC adds fuel to the fire of an ACC fight. Is it possible that Texas might pull off the Ewers-Manning thing without drama, or not? Why did a state auditor try to get Iowa's AD fired in exchange for using public money in the latest settlement related...

Godfrey and Alex have six short stories to tell you this week about college football-related stories that have caught their eye over the last week or two. 1) The significance of Rice hiring a big-time high school coach, 2) The college-to-NFL coaching trend that isn't, 3) The limits of football consumption, 4) Is the MAC being crowded out on weeknights? 5) Mike London is now the cradle of offensive...

Richard, Alex, and Godfrey start this week's show by egging on (most) of the ideas about changing the rules to make games a bit quicker. Then it's time to close out the 2022 conference review season with the Pac-12 and the Mountain West, in detail. Subscribe for bonus episodes on these very topics at  splitzoneduo.com . Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

This episode contains the 2022 conference review episodes, with roses, buds, thorns, and all, for the Big 12 and Conference USA. It also features Godfrey, Richard, and Alex being gobsmacked at one of the most outrageous claims in recruiting history: that Tommy Tuberville had anything to do with Patrick Mahomes getting to Texas Tech. Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Richard, Alex, and Godfrey start this week's show with some discussion of Alabama's wholesale coordinator changeover, Texas and Oklahoma being stuck in a Big 12 that doesn't want them, and the end of the Jaden Rashada recruitment saga. Then it's conference review time with the Big Ten and MAC's 2022 seasons put under a microscope. Subscribe for bonus episodes at splitzoneduo.com . Production: Anth...

Richard and Alex talk through some notable nuggets from recent conference schedule drops for 2023, before going back in time and reviewing the 2022 seasons in both the Atlantic Coast and American Athletic Conferences. Subscribe to our Patreon for more at  splitzoneduo.com . Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com...

Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk through Ed Reed becoming, then un-becoming, the head coach at Bethune-Cookman, and how the entire situation fits with a Deion Sanders-led mini-trend of big-name, inexperienced coaches taking jobs at historically Black universities. Then it's time for the SEC season review, with roses, buds, and thorns for the season abounding. Subscribe to our Patreon for bonus epis...

Yes, we reserve the first 7:19 for Richard to talk about the Jags (but also about the beauty of football fandom). Then, to humble him, Alex and Godfrey make Richard discuss the NIL collective mess currently unfolding in public view around Florida's recruitment of a five-star quarterback. Next, a talk about the quick, disruptive, and check-cashing Big Ten commissioner tenure of Kevin Warren. Then,...

Richard and Alex try their best to sum up what Georgia did to TCU on Monday night. The Dawgs had a great plan, and they also had an otherworldly ability to find a chip on their shoulder. But Alex doesn't even think Georgia fans are the happiest fans of the weekend, because South Dakota State fans also exist. Plus some housekeeping to end our third season as a podcast. Subscribe to our Patreon for...

Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk about the coming matchup between TCU and Georgia: Do the Frogs have enough skill weapons to cause gameplan problems for the Dawgs? Can the underdogs thump enough? Is there an exhaust port somewhere for TCU to exploit? Plus, some takeaways from every other team to appear in a New Year's Six bowl, some vested interests, and a Godfrey-led chat about Playoff TV ratings....

Please enjoy this Split Zone Duo Patreon special from our miniseries "Dead Letters." Initially released in July 2022, the three-episode series is a scripted-ish look at college football programs that had enormous success or potential and then ran into problems of either their environment or their own making. The first episode is about the Tulane Green Wave, who were once a contemporary of (and a t...

Alex, Godfrey, and Richard preview the Playoff semifinals with some scheme and narrative flavor, then move onto the rest of the New Year's six and all the other bowls in the coming week. Find an expanded Playoff Schemecast on Patreon later this week at  splitzoneduo.com . Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p...

Richard, Godfrey, and Alex run through the 24 coaching changes in FBS so far and sort out what they say about the hiring schools' strategies. Plus some thoughts on National Signing Day, tying up loose ends at Navy, and the week of bowls ahead. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . T...

Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk about the towering, complicated, far-reaching legacy Mike Leach left in college football. After that, a run through this week's bowl games and the non-FBS playoffs, with a tasting menu and vested interests included. Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf...

Welcome to Split Zone Duo's 2022 awards presentation. Let's call them The Zonies? Alex, Richard, and Godfrey pick the best P5 teams, G5 teams, plays, games, and coaches of 2022. Plus some thoughts on Army-Navy and a tasting menu packed with non-FBS playoff games. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex react to conference championship games, led by the Big 12 and Pac-12. Then let's take a first glance at Georgia-Ohio State and Michigan-TCU while marveling at a Troy-UTSA matchup and pondering if Kansas State might ruin Alabama's day in the Sugar Bowl. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...